DANGERS OF THE JOB-- A JSO officer investigating an early morning hit-and-run - comes DIDN'T LOOK REAL AT FIRST SO I SEEN THEM START PUTTING IT UP... GOOD EVENING. THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS IDENTIFIED THE DEPUTY AS 12-YEAR VETERAN CLIFFORD SANE. INVESTIGATORS TELL US THAT THE OFFICER WAS NOT SHOT AND WAS ABLE TO FIGHT BACK AND TO SHOOT HIS GUN, HITTING THAT GUNMAN SEVERAL TIMES. IT STARTED ABOUT 6:00 THIS MORNING. SANE INVESTIGATED A HIT-AND-RUN CRASH ON MONCRIEF ROAD AND OFFICIALS ARE SAYING THAT A TIP LED THE DEPUTY TO A HOME ON FRASIER STREET WHEN THINGS TURNED EVEN MORE VIOLENT. CHANNEL 4'S ASHLEY HARDING HAS GOT THE STORY REPORTING LIVE FROM JSO HEADQUARTERS DOWNTOWN. POLICE HAVE NOT IDENTIFIED THE MAN BUT THEY SAY HE STARTED FIRING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. HE'S SAID TO BE IN THE HOSPITAL AND SAID TO BE DOING OAK. NOW, OFFICER SANE IS ALSO ALL RIGHT, BUT AS IT TURNS OUT, THIS IS A SCENARIO ALL TOO FAMILIAR FOR HIM. ACTUALLY I THOUGHT THAT THEY WAS HAVING SOME KIND OF DRILL BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE A DRILL. Reporter: ROOSEVELT PICKMY DESCRIBED THE SCENE AS CHAOS, SAYING HE AND HIS CHILDREN WERE WALKING WHEN THEY SAW A JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND ANOTHER MAN EXCHANGING GUNFIRE. IT SOUNDED LIKE A DRUM, DOOM, DOOM, THAT'S ALL YOU KEPT HEARING. AND IT'S SAD BECAUSE YOU HAD LITTLE CAN KIDS AROUND. Reporter: POLICE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE OFFICERS AS CLIFFORD SALES. THEY SAY SALES WAS INVESTIGATING A HIT-AND-RUN ACCIDENT WHEN THEY APPROACHED THREE PEOPLE STANDING OUTSIDE OF A HOME. THAT'S WHEN THEY SAY FOR NO REASON AT ALL, ONE OF THE MEN STARTED SHOOTING. IT IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME IF THE SUSPECT WHO FIRED AT OFFICER SALES IS THE SAME SUSPECT THAT ELSE WAS INVOLVED IN THE EARLIER HIT AND RUN. POLICE SAY THE SUSPECT TOOK OFF RUNNING BUT FOUND AND TAKEN TO A NEARBY HOSPITAL. TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT OFFICERS SAY SALES MAY HAVE BEEN FEELING, YOU MAY HAVE TO GO BACK TO 2008 WHEN HE WAS SHOT IN THE NECK BY A MAN IN NORTHWEST JACKSONVILLE AND LATER HONORED WITH A PURPLE HEART. POLICE SAY THIS NEW INCIDENT SHOWS YET AGAIN THE RISKS THAT COME WITH THE WORK. TODAY IT STARTED AS A ROUTINE FOLLOW-UP TO A HIT AND RUN INVESTIGATION. IT WASN'T EVEN A FELONY HIT AND RUN. IT WAS A HIT AND RUN THAT INVOLVED NO INJURIES. THE OFFICERS FOLLOWING THAT UP AND ALL OF A SUDDEN HE FINDS HIMSELF IN A DEADLY CONFRONTATION. SO IT DOCILE STRAIGHT THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS JOB. THAT SUSPECT IS RECOVERING AT US HEALTH HERE IN JACKSONVILLE. AGAIN, HIS INJURIES ARE SAID TO

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

A police officer investigating an early-morning hit-and-run on Moncrief exchanged gunfire with a person standing in the front yard of a home on Frazier Street. The officer was not hurt, but the gunman was hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds.

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According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, a tip led Officer Clifford Sames to the home near Stanton College Preparatory where three people were standing outside.

"As he approached the individuals, one of the individuals, unprovoked, opened fire on Officer Sames and Sames was forced to return fire," said JSO Chief of Detectives Adam Brown.

Police say Sames was not injured and fired five shots in return. The suspect ran, but was found in a shed and taken to UF Heath at Jacksonville.

"They pulled up on him like they was coming to jump up on him," said Roosevelt Pickney, who said he witnessed the shooting while walking with his children. "The guy, he wasn't aiming anything. He was turned like he was trying to hide something."

The name of the man shot was not released on Saturday. Brown said the man's injuries were not life-threatening.

Sames is a 12-year veteran of the JSO. This was his second shooting incident, having returned fire after being shot in the neck by a suspect in September 2008.

Sames was placed on administrative leave, which is standard protocol.

"This was a routine follow up to a hit-and-run investigation. It wasn't even a felony hit-and-run," Brown said. "The officer's following that up and all of a sudden he finds himself in a deadly confrontation, so it does illustrate this is a very dangerous job."

Police do not expect to release any additional information on Saturday.

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